Terrence Mccrary

Terrence McCrary Jr., a thoughtful, warm, and loving 22-year-old, was known for his huge smile and his ability to make everyone feel included. A Black man born and raised in Berkeley, California, he was a talented skateboarder and an aspiring artist who was studying at Berkeley City College. Known to friends as "TMack," he was a fixture at the local skate park, where he had worked as a teen and mentored younger skaters. His family—parents Terrence Sr. and Florence, and older sister, Erika—remembered him as a beautiful light who gave and received a lot of love. He was close with his family, and his mother recalled how he would always hug and kiss her. Friends described him as a "Berkeley legend" who represented the best of the city: loving, kindhearted, and always extending a hand to people in need.

In the early morning hours of August 14, 2016, McCrary was attending a birthday party at the Prime Development art gallery and streetwear shop at 322 15th Street in Oakland's Uptown district. Shortly before 1 a.m., a conflict broke out inside the gallery, which was crowded with several hundred people. A group of men began harassing a young woman, and her boyfriend, 20-year-old Craig Fletcher-Cooks, intervened to protect her. The men attacked Fletcher-Cooks, and at least two pulled out guns, shooting him multiple times. McCrary, who was standing about five feet away, was struck by a single stray bullet. The gunfire, described by police as "many, many rounds," spilled out into the street. McCrary and Fletcher-Cooks, both graduates of Berkeley High School, were pronounced dead at the scene. A third man was also shot but survived his injuries.

The Oakland Police Department investigated the double homicide. With an estimated 300 people in the area at the time of the shooting, investigators pleaded with the public for information. Police and Crime Stoppers of Oakland offered a reward of up to $25,000 for tips leading to an arrest. For years, the case remained without a public resolution, a painful reality for the families of the two young men. McCrary’s family said his death left "a void in the lives of his family, friends, and artist community.”

In March 2019, the Alameda County District Attorney's office charged Otis Wyatt, then 19 at the time of the shooting, with the murder of Craig Fletcher-Cooks. More than two years later, in October 2021, the complaint was amended to add a murder charge for the death of Terrence McCrary, along with a special circumstance allegation of multiple murders. By then, Wyatt was already in custody for a separate killing. In October 2016, two months after the gallery shooting, Wyatt murdered 23-year-old Darrell Daniel in West Oakland. He was convicted of Daniel's murder in January 2023 and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

In a stunning turn of events, the Alameda County District Attorney's office, under the leadership of Pamela Price, offered Wyatt a plea deal in November 2023. In exchange for a no-contest plea to one count of voluntary manslaughter for the death of Craig Fletcher-Cooks, all charges related to Terrence McCrary's death were dropped, including the murder charge and the special circumstance allegation. The deal resulted in a 21-year sentence that runs concurrently with his existing 25-years-to-life sentence, meaning Wyatt will serve no additional time for the gallery shootings. He will be eligible for parole after serving 25 years in total.

McCrary's mother, Florence, expressed profound disappointment and frustration with the justice system. "I feel the entire system failed my child," she said, stating that the DA's office told her they feared losing the case at trial. At the sentencing hearing in December 2023, she addressed Wyatt directly, saying, "I can't embrace the choices you make. And I can't embrace the decision of this court that decides that you shouldn't be held accountable." She and other family members delivered emotional victim impact statements, describing the deep and lasting pain of their loss.

In the years since his death, Terrence McCrary's community has ensured his legacy endures. His funeral was a standing-room-only event attended by over a thousand people. Friends painted his coffin as a work of art in his honor. In Berkeley, the Harrison Park skate park was officially renamed the Terrence McCrary, Jr. Memorial Skate Park, a place where his family hosts the annual T-Mack Skate Jam to celebrate his life and advocate against gun violence. His mother has become an advocate, traveling to Washington D.C. to speak with legislators. "My son was going to change the world," his father said at a vigil shortly after his death. For the many who loved him, he already had. As of December 2023, the legal case concerning his death is considered closed.